The Small Red Cloth Shoe
by Seller of Dreams
Summary: A Cinderella story set in Ancient China. Enjoy! Please read and review.
1. Chapter 1

A long time ago in China, there lived a wealthy gentleman, by the name of Wu, who had many wives. His whole family lived together on their large property. The family included his parents; his wives; his children; and his brothers and their wives and children.

As he was brought up in a wealthy household, Wu was extremely spoilt as a child and during his adult years had taken to drinking heavily and gambling. Unfortunately, he was not a very lucky man and so his many late nights out usually resulted in losses. He would often be out for many days on end and arrive home in the early hours of the morning—groggy from an overdose of liquor and in a bad mood.

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One day, his third wife, Lei, gave birth to a beautiful baby girl with shiny soot-black hair and pretty black eyes fringed with long, dark lashes. She was given the name _Yen—_meaning _swallow—_for her laugh sounded as sweet as a swallow's song. However, Wu was not pleased for he had wanted a son. A son would be a credit to the family. A son could earn money for them and also carry on the family name. A daughter would only get married and move to live with her husband's family. For this, he beat his wife.

From that day on, whenever he was unhappy, Wu would blame his wife for not producing a son. Although everyone in the household knew about him mistreating Lei—no one did anything about it. They were either too afraid to speak badly of Wu or they did not care. One night, Wu arrived home in an extremely bad mood and beat his wife fiercely. Her piercing screams could be heard from a mile away. This continued for many hours without respite—but the rest of the family lay silently inside their chambers—not a word was said about it.

Lei died the following morning—just as the sun was coming over the horizon—its golden rays glinting on the dew-covered leaves outside. She was found a few hours later—lying on her bed—the sheets stained red with blood. On her pale face was the look of agony and fear after a long and painful night of suffering. In her arms she held her dear little baby—clutched to her chest. During her night of suffering and distress, she had worried over the fate of her daughter. Lei knew that she was not liked among Wu's family—although they had tried not to show it. They despised her for her beauty and extraordinary talent for embroidery. She had few friends within the household—her maid, Hua, the head cook, Ping and some other servants.

Lei was buried that day in the family cemetery—where all the Wu family had been buried for generations. Her few belongings were gathered and burnt. The only thing Hua had managed to salvage was a delicate gold necklace given to Lei by her mother. She knew that Lei would have wanted Yen to have it.

Lei'spresence was not greatly missed in the family—for them, life carried on as if nothing had happened. However, the servant quarters were a sad place for many months following it.

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please r&r! I'd really appreciate it.


	2. Chapter 2

Here's the next chapter, hope you like it!

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The morning sun seeped through the windows of a bedroom chamber. It was a beautiful bedroom—with a large four-poster bed, covered with a delicate mosquito net. There was a dressing table by the bed with a round mirror framed in gold positioned on it and at the side lay a bigger table with two low stools. On the wall hung a large tapestry—picturing a young lady, dressed in a long green robe—sitting among the willows inside a garden. The trees outside cast friendly shadows around the room—dancing on the brilliant red wallpaper and reflecting off the mirror and onto the golden jewellery laid out neatly on the table. 

On the floor was a young girl—not yet sixteen years old—with shiny soot-black hair, which hung over her shoulders, and the prettiest black eyes framed with long, dark lashes. She was dressed in rags—patched with delicate and neat little stiches. She was kneeling on the floor with a rag in her hand and a basin of soapy water at her side—she was extremely busy that day.

At that moment, the sound of trumpets and thudding of horses' hooves came from the courtyard outside. However, the girl did not get up—she kept on with her scrubbing, for she had a lot to do. A messenger's booming voice sounded from outside—the prince's messenger.

"His royal majesty, Prince Wang, has specially invited every noble lady in his father's kingdom to attend his royal feast on the Friday two weeks from today," he announced, "At the conclusion of the feast, his majesty will choose one lady to be his bride."

At this, the girl rose and went to the window—in the courtyard was the royal messenger mounted on his horse. He was dressed in elegant clothing with a scroll in his hand. He carefully slid the scroll back into its pouch, which hung at his side and rode off. The girl quietly slid out door of the chamber and in direction of the family cemetery—she had to tell her mother of the news.

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Yen's mother's grave lay in the far corner of the cemetery, under the canopy of a brilliant cherry blossom tree—its petals making a pink carpet over the grass. Beside it lay her father's grave—he had died soon after her mother's death due to liver failure. She gently plucked a strand of blossoms from the tree and placed it on her mother's grave—in front of the small grey headstone—

_Here rests Hu Lei 1614-1638 _

_Third wife of Wu _

She hated those words engraved on the slab of hard grey concrete, whoever had written it obviously did not care that her mother was dead.

Yen knelt down on her mother's grave—she would often come here—mostly to talk to her mother or sometimes just to think. Here, she had had pleasant memories, telling her mother things—just anything that came to mind. Here, she had wept out her many worries—confided to her mother of her innermost secrets. Here her body had sat while her spirit roamed the faraway land of dreams.

Yen could not remember her parents—she had been left in the care of her father's first wife, who she was obliged to address as _Niang, _meaning _Mother_. ButNiangwas nothing like a mother to her—she ruled her like a slave, ever since she could remember—making her work day and night for long hours. She would often wonder what she had done to deserve such a horrible life—she hated it—once she even cursed whatever mighty power that had allowed these things to happen to her—but she regretted that and had prayed for forgiveness the next day.

One of her only enjoyments was embroidery. Yen loved to transport those beautiful images, which painted themselves in her mind, onto cloth. While she sewed, she could forget about her horrible life—just for a moment—and be lost in another world. However, she dreaded that feeling she would always get after she would laid down her sewing, when everything would rush back to her—when she remembered that never-ending list of chores still undone.

Yen would often try to picture what her mother had looked like. "She was very pretty—just like you" Ping had told her. She wished she had a picture of her mother—just one picture—all she had left was a gold chain, which hung around her neck—always.

Ping had told her many other things, while she helped her in the kitchen. She told her about how her mother was also talented at embroidery, how much her mother had loved her—even how her mother had died. She felt sick every time thought about this. She never put any flowers on her father's grave—only her mother's.

Her only friends were the servants, who lived and worked alongside her; and the friendly swallows that dwelled in the cherry blossom trees every summer. She would often climb up onto the sturdy boughs and they would perch themselves on her shoulder. She could hear them now—she could hear the sound of their sweet song drifting in the morning air. She closed her eyes for a moment and listened—how wonderful the world was just then!

After a few moments, she returned from her reverie. "The prince is hosting a royal feast, Mother…" she began.

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	3. Chapter 3

Here's the next chapter, happy reading!

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"YEN! Yen, my button is loose! Get in here and fix it right NOW!"

With a sigh, Yen laid down her broom a walked in the direction of her stepsister Mei's chamber. It was the sixteenth time Mei had called her that day. It was the day of the feast, it had finally arrived, but Yen was not happy. She was beginning to doubt her chances of even getting to the feast for she had been woken before dawn that morning by her Niang's maid and told that she was not allowed to go to the feast until she had completed all her chores.

It was now two hours past noon. All morning she had scrubbed, washed, swept, wiped, and mended—every muscle in her body ached, she was tired, and her head throbbed terribly, yet she was only just past halfway down her list of chores. The feast commenced at six o'clock sharp—she had just over three hours left!

Mei's chamber was at the end of the courtyard. It was the one she had been in that day she had heard about the feast. Inside sat Mei, admiring herself in the round, gold-framed mirror. She wore a sparkling blue silk gown, delicately embroidered with golden thread. Her hair was done up in a new style, decorated with a golden headpiece. Mei was her Niang's only daughter—she had been born one year after Yen.

"Just look at the state of this button!" Mei exclaimed, "It's about to fall off any minute now!"

Yen produced a little sewing kit she always carried with her and fixed the button.

"How do I look?" asked Mei, flicking her hair over her shoulder. Yen remained silent—it was just a rhetorical question, she knew that Mei disliked to be answered by her and wouldn't care for her opinion anyway.

Yen was just about to ask to be dismissed when a frown suddenly washed over Mei's face, making furrows in her brow. "Something's missing," she declared, "I know! I forgot to put on a necklace." Mei began to examine her jewellery; she seemed to have forgotten that Yen was still in the room.

A quarter of an hour later, Mei was still bent over her sparkling jewels, mumbling to herself—"Too big…not big enough…nope, doesn't look good…I have nothing! Nothing! Yen decided to leave since she was not needed there—she was almost out the door when Mei caught her reflection in the mirror. "Where do you thing you're going! I haven't given you permission to leave yet." Reluctantly, Yen turned around.

"Sorry," she mumbled.

At that moment, a strong breeze made the tree outside sway, causing a beam of sunlight to flash across Yen, making her gold necklace glitter—it caught Mei's eye.

"What's that you have around your neck? Give it to me!"

"No!" she replied but it was too late.

Mei lunged forward and yanked her beloved necklace away from her. She fastened it around her own neck. "That looks very nice indeed," she remarked.

Yen dashed out of the room, she couldn't bear it any longer. She ran and ran, not knowing where she was going—she just wanted to get away, away from this misery, away from these evil people! A few moments later, she found herself in the graveyard, in front of her mother's grave under the cherry blossom tree. The resplendent pink petals looked especially beautiful in the sunshine that day—she usually would have delighted in the sight of them, but she didn't notice them then. She told her mother everything—it just tumbled out in a big string of words,

"…shejusttookitfromme…shewashorribleMother…"

She felt like some part of her was gone--taken away from her. It made her feel a sort of emptiness inside of her.

Yen was about to break down when she felt something surround her—a strong force—it felt warm and nice. She felt her mother all around her—in the air, the trees, the grass…everything—comforting her, giving her strength. It was an indescribable feeling.

She stood up and looked bravely at the great big world around her, "I will be brave, I _can _be brave," she thought, "I _will not _give up." With this encouragement, she resumed her chores with a new sort of determination.

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By quarter past five she managed to complete everything she was asked to do, just as her Niang and Mei were being lifted into the carriage. The sun was just beginning to set—casting a sea of golden light over the world. Mei's jewellery and the golden embroidery thread on her dress glittered in the sunlight. Yen had spent many hours making that dress—it had to be absolutely perfect to satisfy Mei and her Niang. She could see her golden necklace hanging around Mei's throat and quickly looked away—she couldn't bear to see her most treasured possession on such an evil being.

Although Mei was dressed in the latest fashion and to the highest quality, her figure and facial features were unappealing. It could be said that she was a little too much on the stout side and the top of her head only just reached Yen's nose. She was one of those unfortunate few who had not managed to escape a double-chin, she had small eyes and an unusually wide mouth which opened to reveal two slightly higgledy piggledy rows of teeth.

"I've finished my chores." Yen declared, "May I go to the feast now?" Her Niang and Mei exchanged amused glances and then started laughing.

"Y-y-you, you want to go to the feast?" her Niang said and then laughed some more, "Don't be ridiculous, it's only for noble ladies. Anyway, you've got nothing to wear, you don't intend on showing up in that, do you?" she asked, gesturing at Yen's rags. Her Niang kicked a pile of freshly swept up leaves under a tree, making them fly in all directions. "Oh, look," she said, "I think you've missed some of the leaves." And with a swish of cloth, she was gone.

She stood there and stared after them, her whole form steaming with anger. How dare her Niang say she wasn't noble! How dare she taunt her in that fashion! The anger paralysed her, freezing her whole body—yet her face was flushed with rage, making her look more beautiful.

She heard the cries of swallows in the distance and awakened from her daze—"whatever could be the matter?" she thought, "They're supposed to be going to sleep." The cries were coming closer, and then she noticed a whole flock of swallows swoop down from the sky. She watched as they landed on the ground and proceeded to pick up the leaves.

Just then she realised that she could still make it to the feast on time if she hurried. She thanked the swallows and rushed out of the courtyard.

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In her small room by the servant quarters Yen donned her outfit for the feast. It was made from some fabric brought to her by the swallows—she did not know where they had got it. There was a simple red dress and a pair of small red cloth shoes embroidered with swallows, which fit perfectly on her bound feet. She still remembered that day when Hua had bound her feet and the agonising weeks that had followed. Even now her feet hurt after long periods of walking or even just standing. Sometimes she wondered if it was worth it, to suffer the pain just to be considered beautiful and worthy.

Yen was dressed in a flash and out in the cemetery—she couldn't use the front door as it creaked and she would be heard. There was her mother's grave as she had left it—she placed a fresh strand of cherry blossoms on it and bid goodbye. Then she pinned some cherry blossoms into her hair and climbed nimbly into the cherry blossom tree—she knew all the footholds like the back of her hand, even in the darkness. From the tree she climbed over the wall and was off.

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Please reveiw! I really appreciate your comments :) 


	4. Chapter 4

It was a peaceful and clear night—there was not a cloud in sight and the tiny glittering stars way up in the sky were free to shine away as much as they pleased. Together, they formed pictures of many fascinating things that had been there since the beginning of time and Yen remembered the legends about them, told to her on sleepless nights by Ping.

Despite the slight throbbing of her feet, Yen was quite enjoying her journey. To avoid being seen, she had taken a narrow back lane, which passed through a small wood. Although it was dark, she was not afraid—many a time she had crept out into the graveyard in the night. The beauty of the wood enraptured her—never in her life had she seen something quite as beautiful as a woodsy grove in moonlight.

Emerging from amongst the trees, Yen found that the small narrow path she had followed suddenly came to an end and instead, joined up with the main road. She could see numerous fresh cart tracks left there that very evening by the many guest on their way towards the palace. After a moment of consideration, she concluded that her only sensible option would be to pursue the main road, despite the great risk of being seen. She cursed herself for wearing a red dress, as this made it a lot easier to be noticed.

Three times Yen had to duck behind bushes that lined the path to avoid the prying eyes of the ladies inside the carriages and once she was forced to conceal herself within the branches of a nearby tree as an unusually large assembly passed.

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The palace, looked like a fairy's beacon light glimmering in the distance. As she got closer, she saw that the place was illuminated by hundreds of golden lanterns. She could hear festive music being played within the palace walls.

Yen was led into a large courtyard enclosed by four high walls, lined with a few trees. On her left sat around half a dozen musicians and to her right were several tables lined with fancy dishes—there was almost every kind of food she had ever heard of, from roast duck to taro jelly.

Yen suddenly realized that she was hungry—ravenous! With all her chores to be done, she had not eaten since noon. The long walk had left her quite exhausted and she felt her mouth beginning to water upon smelling the delicious victuals.

Quite forgetting herself, Yen went quickly over to the tables where several ladies were serving themselves and started eating hungrily. When the first pangs of hunger had been satisfied, she slowed and noticed quite a few guests staring at her in amazement. Blushing, she realized what she had done and stopped eating abruptly.

It was this that caused Prince Wang to take notice of her. Any other prince, after seeing her table manners, would have thought Yen most horrifying, but Prince Wang, being a little mischievous in nature, just chuckled. He was thinking that she was the prettiest girl he had ever seen.

Although she lacked the jewels and elaborate attire that the other ladies at the feast wore, she was easily the prettiest girl in the courtyard. Prince Wang felt that he desperately had to get to know her. However, as Yen tried to avoid being recognized, especially by her stepsister and her Niang, she restrained herself from staying near the prince.

Yen found herself, like most of the other ladies, admiring Prince Wang. However, while most of the other guests were discussing his wealth with awe, Yen was thinking about his good looks. He wasn't handsome, exactly, but there was something distinguished about him that made you think he was. Yen felt at first glance that he was a kindred spirit. She stopped herself then, pinching her arm hardly.

'Why are you even thinking these things about him?' she asked herself, 'It's not as if you're ever going to marry the prince."

Yen spent the remainder of the evening listening to the musicians and conversing with a few of the other noble ladies. However, she found a majority of the guests dull, for their main interests were based around money and jewels. Also, many ladies were not eager to associate with Yen after seeing her stuffing herself like a pig.

There was one girl, however, who approached Yen and introduced herself as Prince Wang's youngest sister, Princess Yu. Being the youngest of the seven children in the royal family, she was often overlooked and forgotten, as her parents were extremely busy. This left her to amuse herself for hours on end in the palace grounds.

Like Yen, Princess Yu loved gardens. She loved hearing the birds sing in the treetops and watching the buds slowly unfold themselves to reveal the beauty hidden within.

The two carried out an animating conversation and after the first ten minutes they were sworn friends. Almost two hours later, there was a sudden hush among the guests in the courtyard. Yen and Princess Yu both glanced up and saw Prince Wang being escorted up onto a platform at the northern end of the quadrangle—he was to announce his choice! That was when Yen realised that she had meant to leave half an hour before in order to make it back home before her Niang and Mei.

Announcing that she had to visit the bathroom, Yen rose and left. She was barely noticed by anyone, as the other guests were all had their eyes fixed on the Prince, waiting for his decision. Prince Wang himself, however, having not made up his mind yet, was busy scanning the crowd in front of him and just happened to catch a glimpse of red disappearing into the corridor. It took him only a fraction of a second to realise who it was and in a flash, he was gone too.

Yen ran along the main road leading away from the palace. Her feet throbbed terribly and she had lost one of her shoes when she had tripped over the step at the doorway. Her hair had come loose from the pin that had held it up all evening and she was almost out of breath. Yet Yen did not stop, she could not for she had to get home quickly.

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To be continued…

Thanks for reading! Please review and let me know what you think.


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